Clarion U.’s Zacherl Named NWCA Division I All-American

CLARION, Pa. – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division I Coaches Group announced the 2020 Division I All-Americans on Friday with Brookville graduate Brock Zacherl earning a spot on the Second Team

Zacherl, who is joined on the second-team All-American squad by teammates Greg Bulsak, joins Bulsak as the first All-Americans in head coach Keith Ferraro’s tenure. They are the first Golden Eagles to earn All-American honors since James Fleming did it in 2013. It is also the first time two Clarion wrestlers have earned All-American honors in the same year since 2012 when Fleming and future Olympian Bekzod Abdurakhmonov both made the podium at nationals.

For Zacherl, the honor comes as the culmination of a stellar Clarion career in which the Brookville graduate qualified for the NCAA Championships four times. Zacherl finished his career with an impressive 114-17 record that included a 59-2 record in dual matches. Perhaps the most impressive number attached to Zacherl’s career is his undefeated record in home matches, as he compiled a 44-0 record in varsity matches as a Golden Eagle. Zacherl finished his career ranked 14th in all-time wins at Clarion.

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) runner-up at 149 pounds in 2020, Zacherl compiled a 22-4 overall record this year and was consistently ranked among the best 149-pounders in the country. He was set to enter the NCAA Championships as the 11th seed in the field. Zacherl placed seventh at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December after taking fourth there a year previous and went on to post an 11-0 record in MAC duals for the year.

Bulsak’s junior year was the best of his Clarion career, as the South Park native firmly entrenched himself in the national conversation as a dominant 197-pounder. He became Clarion’s first-ever MAC Champion when he blitzed the field in DeKalb, winning three matches on the first day of the tournament before claiming the gold. The real eye-opener for the country came at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational when Bulsak took sixth place, including three pins over nationally-ranked opponents and a win over top-10 Jay Aiello of Virginia.

Bulsak finished the year with a 27-5 overall record, including a 10-1 record in MAC duals and a team-best nine wins by fall on the year. He was set to enter his third NCAA Championships as the 10th seed in the 197-pound bracket.

Each year the NWCA recognizes the outstanding work of the Division I student-athletes by naming the All-Americans based on their achievements in the national championship. However, this year the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All-American honors were based on each wrestler’s overall body of work through the conference tournaments and up to the national championships.